The universe is like a safe to which there is a combination. But the combination is locked up in the safe.

— Peter De Vries

Scientific American.com

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Updated: 22 hours 4 min ago

Time Slows Down When We See Something Memorable

Mon, 04/22/2024 - 11:00am

New research shows that looking at memorable images can warp our perception of time

Categories: Astronomy

Quantum Computers Can Run Powerful AI That Works like the Brain

Mon, 04/22/2024 - 8:30am

The influential AI design that makes chatbots tick now runs on quantum computers

Categories: Astronomy

Experimental Ovarian Cryopreservation Could Delay Menopause, but Experts Are Weighing the Risks

Mon, 04/22/2024 - 8:00am

Extracting, freezing and retransplanting slices of hormone-producing ovarian tissue could postpone menopause, but some experts say it’s not effective enough—or necessary

Categories: Astronomy

Low-Earth Orbit Faces a Spiraling Debris Threat

Mon, 04/22/2024 - 7:00am

Millions of human-made objects travel at high speeds in low-Earth orbit, polluting space and increasing the chance of collision with satellites and other spacecraft

Categories: Astronomy

How a Cloned Ferret Inspired a DNA Bank for Endangered Species

Mon, 04/22/2024 - 6:45am

The birth of a cloned black-footed ferret named Elizabeth Ann, and her two new sisters, has sparked a new pilot program to preserve the tissues of hundreds of endangered species “just in case”

Categories: Astronomy

Will the Amazon Rain Forest Help Save the Planet?

Mon, 04/22/2024 - 6:00am

Years in the making, a project in the Amazon rain forest is finally set to determine whether a rise in carbon dioxide could save one of the world’s largest carbon sinks.

Categories: Astronomy

The U.S. Spends a Fortune on Beach Sand That Storms Just Wash Away

Sun, 04/21/2024 - 10:00am

The U.S. is paying hundreds of millions of dollars to replenish storm-ravaged beaches in a losing battle against rising seas and erosion

Categories: Astronomy

New Minecraft ‘Heat Dragon’ Quest Has Gamers Fight Climate Villain

Sat, 04/20/2024 - 10:00am

A new video game puts climate solution tools in the hands of up to 80 million Minecraft players

Categories: Astronomy

Sorry, Little Green Men: Alien Life Might Actually Be Purple

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 2:00pm

Purple may be a likely color for extraterrestrial organisms, research suggests

Categories: Astronomy

Early Humans Sheltered in This Lava Tube 10,000 Years Ago—And It’s Still in Use Today

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 1:00pm

Fossils and stone tools show that a cave in Saudi Arabia has been used as shelter by humans for millennia, up to the present day

Categories: Astronomy

Abortion Bans in Arizona and Florida Will Face Voters in November

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 12:30pm

The state supreme courts in Florida and Arizona both recently ruled that strict abortion bans could go into effect. But ballot measures may give voters a chance to weigh in

Categories: Astronomy

You Quit Ozempic or Wegovy. What Happens Next?

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 12:00pm

Many researchers think that Wegovy and Ozempic should be taken for life, but myriad factors can force people off the drugs

Categories: Astronomy

Anti-Trans Efforts Use Misinformation, Epistemological Violence and Gender Essentialism

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 11:30am

Three types of misinformation are being used against transgender people: oversimplifying scientific knowledge, fabricating and misinterpreting research and promoting false equivalences

Categories: Astronomy

Could JWST Solve One of Cosmology's Greatest Mysteries?

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 11:00am

The telescope's studies could help end a long-standing disagreement over the rate of cosmic expansion. But scientists say more measurements are needed

Categories: Astronomy

Human Brains May Be Getting Bigger

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 7:30am

Brain size in one Massachusetts community has steadily increased since the 1930s, possibly explaining why dementia is trending lower nationwide

Categories: Astronomy

Why Seasonal Allergies Are So Miserable

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 7:00am

Plants are just trying to reproduce; immune systems are just trying to keep us safe

Categories: Astronomy

How to See the Lunar Far Side Right Here on Earth

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 6:45am

Perspective and subtle motion allows us to peek over the moon’s edge and into its far side

Categories: Astronomy

How Big a Threat Is Bird Flu?

Fri, 04/19/2024 - 6:00am

Cows and at least one person in the U.S. have been sickened by avian influenza. We asked experts about the risk to humans.

Categories: Astronomy

FDA Recalls Heart Pumps Linked to Deaths and Injuries

Thu, 04/18/2024 - 3:00pm

Two medical devices that mechanically pump blood to the heart have caused hundreds of injuries and more than a dozen deaths

Categories: Astronomy

Deadly African Heat Wave Would Not Have Been Possible without Climate Change

Thu, 04/18/2024 - 1:30pm

Scientists say extreme temperatures that reached 119 degrees Fahrenheit and killed at least 100 people in parts of West Africa would only occur every 200 years in the absence of climate change

Categories: Astronomy